MATERIAL SCIENCE:
Spinning Continuous Fibers for Nanotechnology
Yuris Dzenis
Carbon nanotubes are attracting a lot of attention as the building blocks of nanotechnology. But nanotubes are difficult to align and process into useful materials. In his Perspective, Dzenis discusses the process of nanofiber electrospinning, in which continuous threads of polymers or ceramic precursors are emitted from a liquid surface as thin jets. These continuous nanofibers may offer an alternative for new nanotechnology applications.
The author is in the Department of Engineering Mechanics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0526, USA. E-mail: ydzenis{at}unl.edu